The Great British Sewing Bee

I have always called people who sew sewers. I suppose an alternative could be needleman/woman. Plural: needlemen and women. But needlepersons? Nah.

Rather 'sewer' than the horrid made-up word 'sewist' which is creeping in

I did feel rather sorry for Jen this week. Her dhoti pants were beautifully sewn. It was just unfortunate that the way she cut the dashiki that the pattern on the shorts ended up pointing towards the crotch. The outfit looked far better sewn than the others in the transformation challenge. The judges loved Leah's design for that round but it looked poorly sewn and messy to me.

Riccardo's origami top was beautiful and a well-deserved garment of the week. Did I hear Leah say that her architect colleages had produced the pattern for her origami top?

The pleating on her dhoti pants was dreadful. That she works for a firm of architects but is unable to figure out the basic maths to evenly place pleats seems odd to me. I thought I saw the pleat markings printed on the pattern anyway so why not not chalk mark them or put in some tailor tacks?

Do GNers remember the fabulous Ann Rowley who won the first ever series? I'm not sure anyone else on the show has ever matched her for expertise. Then there was Chineo Bally from series two who cut all her patterns freehand in the African style that Juliet was describing this week.

Where are they now link:

www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/former-sewing-bee-contestants/

Thankyou FountainPen for the link to former winners of Sewing Bee, it's nice to see that they have had their successes.
I'm glad you brought up Leah's design for the makeover, that pink and blue/turquoise? effort. I thought it looked very messy and as you said, not well sewn at all. I wonder why the judges thought it so wonderful? Jen going was a shame.

I suppose they could call them 'needlepersons'
It was supposed to be tongue in cheek M0nica!!

sewer is just fine.
pronounced 'soewer' JackyB!

It's the wierdest thing. I absolutely hated needlework at school and couldn't sew anything to save my life.

However, having started watching this programme a couple of weeks ago I really enjoy it. I'm so impressed at the calm, controlled way in which these people carry out such complex projects in so little time. (It took me about four months to make a blouse at school and it looked like an old dishrag when I'd finished it).

I am also amazed at the creativity that these people show.

I'm looking forward to the final.

I do like watching but can't help feeling that the 2 most accomplished people have been sent home over the last couple of weeks.

Do you think they will bring back the Great Throw Down?. I really enjoyed the pottery. Used to do evening classes with no great success. A bit like my sewing really.

I hope so, LullyDully, I like that programme too.

Telly. I agree that Janet and Jen were strong contestants who lost out after one "poor" garment. Janet's unfinished (but, according to Patrick, "stunning" coat) and Jen's silk origami top in which she bruised the fabric. What about the gorgeous dhoti pants and the beautiful tailored linen jacket she had made the week before? Janet was the sewer that so many of the other contestants went to for help. I wonder how much time she lost helping the others.

I wish these shows weren't done on a weekly knockout basis so that we got to see contestants full range of skills develop and exhibited over the course of the series with everything they have sewn taken into account at the end. It seems a shame that someone can stand or fall based on one garment.

LullyDully. I was also disappointed when the BBC axed The Great Pottery Showdown. I suspected it was sour grapes over the (same) production company taking Bake Off to Channel 4. I'm not a potter but enjoyed learning about the complex techniques involved in throwing, slab building, glazing and firing. I miss Keith Brymer Jones getting emotion over beautiful pieces of work and the rather dishy man who looked after the kiln.

Fountainpen. The problem is that the Sewing Bee is like most competitive sports, from football to pingpong, to cooking to the sewing bee. Each round is judged on your performance on the day.

The alternative would be to have all competitors on each episode and sum up at the end, which would not make such good television. Janet and Jen both had their bad day and on each occasion Leah was just that bit better.

Bit like life, really.

But I don't agree that Leah was just that bit better. As I have already said I thought that Jen was much better last week and Janet shouldn't have gone either. I am not even bothered about seeing who wins......it's all gone wrong for me

I’ve not enjoyed this latest series, I agree people have been sent home who didn’t deserve to be, I’ll see who wins next week, but I won’t be watching if it ever comes back again. Joe in my opinion hasn’t been an asset either.

It annoys me (as does Bake Off) that they are so-o time limited. Obviously they have to have a limit, but to have to rush at the last minute doesn't really reflect skill at sewing, does it?
Don't even mention those who put the cake in the freezer to cool quickly on Bake Off - the result would be cold, damp cake in real life!
Just allow them a realistic amount of time for goodness sake!

I have enjoyed this series better than the last. I really like Joe. Claudia Winkelman sets my teeth on edge, I felt the programme was becoming more and more subservient to her personality so that she was the star, not the contestants and judges.

OurKid1 & M0nica We don't see the action in real time anyway so it wouldn't harm to allow some extra time to make each garment. I would rather see more precise and expert sewing which I believe they are all capable of than the rushed and bodged garments we often end up with.

I agree that a knockout competition makes for more exciting television but the format leaves little scope for the slower but steady kind of craftsperson that sewers often are. The format didn't favour Alexei who is both very precise and has MS.

I prefer Joe too.

I saw Chineo on Money For Nothing turning an old leather sofa into a beautiful evening dress! Still making her own patterns!

I was dubious about Joe as I'd never heard of him, but I really like him.